The Dallas Cowboys are signing RB Dalvin Cook ahead of the 2024 NFL season after hosting him for a visit earlier in the week, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero .
Cook joins the team after his career-worst season in 2023, when he averaged 3.2 yards per attempt for the New York Jets. Clearly, Dallas is hoping Cook still has some of that burst that made him real special earlier in his career and that allowed him to average 4.7 yards per attempt in his first six years in the league as well as 106 yards from scrimmage per game.
Last year, that explosiveness was nowhere to be found. While it's true a poor offensive line up front hindered his stats, the film backs up the notion that Cook wasn't in a great spot. Consider the numbers below:
Cook ran the ball 67 times in 2023. Out of 59 running backs with a minimum of 67 attempts, Ezekiel Elliott had the second lowest explosive play rate and Cook the 14th lowest, per Sports Info Solutions . Additionally, Cook's EPA per attempt was the worst of the group.
At the end of the day, the Cowboys appear to be content betting over veterans with proven track records despite overwhelming evidence that aging running backs rarely are the same as they were early on in their careers. The Cowboys, who experienced that after paying big-time money to Zeke, seem to still prefer doing it (albeit at a much lower price tag) over betting on younger, less experienced but fresher backs.
Speaking of, Cook's arrival puts Deuce Vaughn's spot on the 53-man roster in jeopardy, a decision that was celebrated by fans and media alike when it was announced on Tuesday.
Could Cook knock Deuce Vaughn off of the 53-man roster?
Vaughn's roster spot is safe for now and will likely remain so for about a month, as Cook is joining the practice squad. Per Clarence Hill from DLLS Sports , the Cowboys were only interested in adding him to the practice squad.
However, if the Cowboys plan to actually use Cook (which is very likely), they'll be able to elevate him three times to the gameday roster before having to promote him to the 53. First of all, Vaughn be at risk of being a healthy scratch if Cook gets called up early on. Most importantly, however, if it's the Cowboys' intention to keep using the veteran, then someone will have to be the odd man out when it's time to sign him to the 53 and judging from the way the team looks at Elliott and Rico Dowdle, it's fair to assume that man would be Vaughn.
That'd be a questionable decision considering neither Cook nor Elliott have been explosive as of late and Vaughn has flashed the potential to be exactly that in the preseason. Of course, it's an unknown, but rolling the dice on No. 42 would be a smart move considering he provides something you can't get from the rest of the group.
The Cowboys seem to have made up their minds though. Cook is a part of the practice squad and chances are it won't be that way for long. I'd expect him to be promoted to the 53-man roster eventually.
Related: Cowboys' post-draft gem proves why team paid him a whole lot of money by making the roster
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